


made with love

by haleofStilesheart



Series: Tumblr Prompts [42]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Baker Derek Hale, College Student Stiles, Getting Together, M/M, Neighbors, Shy Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 17:59:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11041365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleofStilesheart/pseuds/haleofStilesheart
Summary: Derek bakes when he's stressed and always gives his neighbor, Stiles, some of the food he bakes. When Stiles starts receiving huge baskets of desserts, he gets worried about his neighbor.





	made with love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anonymous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous/gifts).



> For the prompt: You bake when you’re stressed and sometimes you give me cookies, but recently you’re giving me whole baskets each day, now I’m not complaining but are you okay?  
> I usually would have gone with Stiles being the stress baker but I thought I'd mix it up and have it be Derek this time. And who doesn't love baker!Derek?

When Stiles moved into his little Brooklyn apartment after getting accepted into Columbia University, his new neighbor was nice enough to bring over a batch of cupcakes to welcome him to the building.

Moving across the country from a sleepy little town in northern California to the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps had been unexpectedly stressful. Stiles had never been away from his dad for so long and the vast distance was certainly putting a strain on him.

The jet lag had him feeling constantly exhausted and nauseous, even unable to sleep, lasting longer than he had anticipated. And the last thing he needed was yet another thing contributing to his insomnia, already needing two sleeping pills and his favorite pillow to be able to fall asleep.

All of that was in addition to the stress of having to dive headfirst into attending an Ivy League school where he would have to maintain a spotless GPA in order to keep his scholarship. It wasn't achieving the good grades that bothered him, it was the suffocating pressure that accompanied achieving those grades, the mere thought of possibly disappointing his dad enough to make him think about just run away.

He was in the throes of yet another round of self-doubt when a gentle knock sounded on his door, interrupting what was sure to become a panic attack. Scrubbing a hand over his face as he shook himself out of his haze, Stiles had stood from his seat on the couch and jogged to the door, calling out, "Give me a sec!"

Praying it wasn't the crazy old landlord demanding more money or his elderly neighbor who screamed bloody murder if he so much as sneezed a little too loud. It wasn't. Instead of a grumpy man with his hand out or an angry little old lady, the most gorgeous person Stiles had ever seen had been standing in his doorway.

He was holding a tray of cupcakes in his hands and while any other time Stiles would have been captivated by the sight of detectable desserts, he was much more mesmerized by the sight of a beautiful man standing in his doorway. Because people who looked like the man in front of him didn't just knock on his door out of the blue. It immediately had him thinking that New York City might not be so bad after all.

Whoever the hell he was, he had the smile of an angel, with bright white bunny teeth and the most kissable lips Stiles had ever seen, and all the dark features of a handsome devil. His hair was pitch black along with his thick stubble, a beautiful contrast to the swarthy tone of his skin and the light green in his hazel eyes.

And as much as Stiles wanted to take a bite of him instead of his cupcakes, he hadn't eaten all and his stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. He could feel his face warm at the embarrassing sound, Handsome Stranger chuckling deeply and joking, "Guess I picked the perfect time to bring these over."

Laughing nervously, Stiles had agreed and introduced himself to the man who turned out to be his next door neighbor, inviting him in to sit for a little. Over cups of coffee and the most delicious French vanilla cupcakes Stiles had ever tasted, his neighbor introduced himself as Derek Hale, explaining that he baked whenever he was stressed and figured that since he had already made some cupcakes he should bring them over to welcome Stiles to the apartment building.

It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for Stiles and after the first time, it sort of became a thing. Whenever Derek ended up baking too much when he was stressed, he would bring some over for Stiles, either knocking on his door or leaving him a plate in the hallway.

Stiles hadn't eaten so good since before his mom passed away, his dad utterly incompetent in the kitchen. Every couple weeks or so, Stiles would wake up to a plate of the most delicious baked treats he had ever tasted on his doorstep.

First, Derek had left him still warm dark chocolate chip cookies that had melted in his mouth and reminded him of fall afternoons spent baking cookies with his mom for when his dad came home from work. Then, he had been blessed with a plate of raspberry white chocolate turnovers that were even fresher than the ones at his new favorite bakery a couple blocks away.

Next, came an entire chocolate peanut butter cheesecake that was so orgasmic Stiles moaned aloud as he scarfed it down in one sitting, not even bothering to feel embarrassed about it since it was so delicious. After the cheesecake, Derek brought over some cherry pie and a carton of homemade vanilla ice cream, both of which were so good Stiles spontaneously asked Derek to marry him.

He would never forget the way Derek shyly ducked his head as the tips of his ears flared a deep red. After seeing that, he was ready to actually propose, just so he could spend the rest of his life making Derek smile and blush like that.

But as much as Stiles thoroughly enjoyed the array of baked goods he received on a weekly basis, he started getting worried when started opening his front door in the morning to find huge baskets of various cookies and other treats every single day. It went on for two weeks before Stiles finally decided to check on Derek, just to make sure the poor guy was okay and hadn't baked himself into exhaustion.

To return the favor of Derek giving him food for the past few months, Stiles decided to bring him over some food, spending a few hours making his mom's karpatka, overcome by nostalgia. After finishing the dessert, he put some in his largest Tupperware container and slipped out of his apartment to knock on Derek's door, hoping he was still up.

He waited patiently after initially knocking a few times, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he tapped his fingers against the lid of the plastic dish. He was just about to give up and try again later when he heard the telltale sound of Derek undoing the locks on his door.

"Oh. Stiles," Derek said by way of greeting as he opened the door a fraction, the light from the hallway illuminating his face. He looked exhausted: his hair was absolutely disheveled like he had been running his hands through it and there were dark bags under his eyes. "Hey."

"Hey," Stiles returned, nervously shifting his weight. Chewing his lip, he asked, "I didn't wake you up, did I? Because I can come back later."

"No, don't worry about it. I can't sleep," Derek explained with a light blush coloring his cheeks, his eyes flickering down to the floor for a moment. Looking back up at Stiles, he opened the door wider and invited, "Do you want to come in?"

Nodding, Stiles followed Derek into his apartment that was just as warm and inviting as its tenant, the walls a cozy tan hue and the couch looking extremely comfy, built-in bookshelves lining the walls. The kitchen was a bit of a disaster, mixing bowls and rubber spatulas cluttered up the counters, the sink was full of dirty dishes, and there was a splatter of what looked like jam on the refrigerator door.

Politely ignoring the mess, he followed Derek's lead and took a seat on the couch that was just as comfy as it looked, sighing as he settled back against the cushions. Raising his container of food, brandishing it a bit too enthusiastically, he announced, "I brought you some karpatka."

Gratefully taking the container from Stiles, Derek cocked his head to the side. Lifting off the lid, he peered down at the dessert, wondering aloud, "What's karpatka?" Derek asked, dipping his finger into the container to sample some of the cream filling, Stiles momentarily distracted by the sight of Derek sucking on the tip of his finger.

"Polish dessert. My mom used to make it all the time. I figured since you always bring me stuff, I should return the favor," Stiles explained, gratified by how eager Derek was as he reached in to break off a piece of the karpatka, popping it into his mouth with a grin. Unable to help the smile that stretched across his face, Stiles cleared his throat and started, "Which is actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh." Derek paused and looked over at Stiles, blinking in surprise. There was a spot of the vanilla cream on his bottom lip that was proving to be very distracting, Stiles almost completely missing Derek's next words. "Do you want me to stop?"

"What? No. Are you kidding me? I haven't eaten this good in years, dude. If you stop I'll probably cry and I'm not a pretty crier, trust me," Stiles answered, a little breathless by the time he finished, feeling like an idiot for rambling in front of his gorgeous neighbor. Shaking off his embarrassment, Stiles focused on the pressing better at hand, asking, "Anyway...I was wondering if you're okay. Are you?"

Looking remarkably like a confused puppy, Derek set the karpatka down on the coffee table beside a Taste of Home magazine and a copy of Pride and Prejudice and leveled Stiles with a baffled look. Tilting his head to the side again, he raised a brow and inquired, "What do you mean?"

"You bake when you're stressed," Stiles pointed out, shifting a little to get more comfortable on the couch, in the process accidentally kicking Derek in the shin. Sending him an apologetic look, Stiles pointed to Derek's kitchen, explaining, "And from the looks of your kitchen and the baskets of food I keep finding on my doorstep, I'd say you're pretty damn stressed."

Derek immediately dipped his chin, suddenly shy, answering Stiles' question without uttering a single word. Stiles instantly reached over to lay his hand on top of Derek's, giving it a gentle squeeze as he murmured, "It's okay, dude. I'm all ears."

"Yeah?" Derek whispered softly, chancing a quick look up at Stiles who just smiled reassuringly and nodded, giving his hand another squeeze. Lifting his head, he let out a deep sigh and collapsed back against the couch, admitting, "It's just...work."

"Mmm hmm," Stiles hummed, signaling for Derek to go on as he moved around again, setting his elbow on the back of the couch and resting his chin in the cradle of his hand. He took the liberty of kicking off his shoes, pulling his legs up onto the couch when Derek didn't object, scooting a little closer. "What about it? Y'know, besides it being work."

"I work at the bakery a few blocks over --- Laura's Place --- with my sister and I do all the baking," Derek started to explain, though he didn't get much further than that as Stiles let out an excited squeal.

"Dude! You work at Laura's Place?" Stiles demanded, bouncing a little in his seat. Derek just nodded, jumping at Stiles' outburst. "That's my favorite bakery! Your blueberry muffins changed my life!---" realizing he had just interrupted he paused "---Oh...sorry. Go on."

"Well, my sister --- that's Laura --- wants to add some new items to the menu and I just can't get them right," Derek admitted with a long-suffering huff, tipping his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. Stiles' heart went out to him, sure that he must be under an enormous strain. He patted Derek's hand, frowning at how tired he looked.

"If you ever need any help or need someone to taste test any new recipes, I'm right next door," Stiles offered, meaning every word. It was the least he could do to repay Derek for his kindness. Besides, he certainly wouldn't object to spending more time with his unfairly hot neighbor.

"Really?" Derek questioned incredulously, furrowing his brows in blatant disbelief at Stiles. "You don't mind?"

"Nah, 'course not," Stiles beamed back, giving Derek's hand another squeeze. Glancing over at the clock on Derek's oven, Stiles realized how late it was, especially considering how early Derek would have to wake up in order to get things ready at the bakery. "Now, we oughta get you to bed, huh?"

He stood from the couch and offered Derek his hand, pulling him up to his feet when Derek took his hand, both of them smiling at each other. Derek didn't let go of his hand once he was standing, his cheeks flushed an endearing shade of red. Sweeping his thumb over the ridges of Stiles' knuckles, he bit his lip and very softly mumbled, "Stiles? Would you maybe wanna spend the night?"

"Wait, really?" Stiles blurted, his eyes widening at Derek's words, sure that he must have misheard him. Because there was no way Derek just asked that. "You're not just messing with me, right?"

Derek shook his head, still looking unbelievably shy, even as he glanced down the hall towards his bedroom. That certainly made it clear that Stiles hadn't misheard anything he said.

Stiles definitely couldn't refuse such a sweet offer. And cuddling with Derek all night? So much better than any dessert.

**Author's Note:**

> [Karpatka](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/97/d1/32/97d13205422d84a3e754d86ed98006bb.jpg) is a Polish cream and it looks amazing!  
>  You can find me on Tumblr [here](http://hale-of-stiles-heart.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
